Tutorial 1 - Introduction

This tutorial is designed to show you
how to use some of the basic operations of IntelliCAD. This tutorial will cover some of
the basic Draw commands fundamental to using all CAD packages as well as explain
to you how to use the interface and basic menu functions. For a basic
progeCAD 3D
tutorial click here. The rest will be covered in future tutorials.

Basic File Operation

In this section we'll run through the basic file
operations within IntelliCAD. These include creating a new drawing, opening a
previously saved drawing, saving your current drawing and printing your drawing. There are a few ways that these
operations can be done. A very easy way is by using the File drop down
menu. Another approach is to use the Standard toolbarand finally
certain commands can be activated by using the keyboard.

Creating A New Drawing

To start a new drawing all you have to do is click
on the New iconon the standard toolbar, alternatively you can
select "New.." from the File drop down menu or use <Ctrl> + 'N'.
The window that you see below
will appear. Simply select the template you would like to use and click OK.

Opening A Saved Drawing

To open a previously saved drawing all you have to
do is click on the Open icon on the standard toolbar, alternatively you
can select "Open.." from the File drop down menu or use
<Ctrl>
+ 'O'. Then simply select find the drawing that you want to open and click
Open.

Saving your Drawing

To save the drawing you are working on
all you have to do is click on the Save icon on the standard toolbar,
alternatively you can select "Save" from the File drop down menu
or use <Ctrl> + 'S'. Please
note that if you are working on a previously opened file that this will simply
save the changes that you have made. To save to a new drawing file you will need
to select "Save As" from the "File" drop down menu. You should
then see the window displayed below, then simply select the location you would
like to save the drawing to and give it a name, when you are happy that you have
it in the right place with the right name then click "Save".

Printing
your Drawing

To print the drawing you are working on
all you have to do is click on the Print icon on the standard toolbar,
alternatively you can select "Print.." from the File drop down
menu or use <Ctrl> + 'P'. The window
below will appear. Select the printer that you would like to output the drawing
to and verify that your settings are correct. When you are happy with these then
just click print, otherwise make the appropriate adjustments. Please note that
it is always recommended that you check all your output settings before you hit
"Print".

Draw Commands and Properties

The Draw commands can be used to create new
objects such as lines and circles. Most IntelliCad drawings are composed purely
and simply from these basic components or entities.The sections below cover the most
frequently used Draw commands such as Line, Polyline and Circle as well as the
more advanced commands like Multiline and Multiline Style. In common with most
IntelliCad commands, the Draw commands can be started in a number of ways. Command names or
short-cuts can be entered at the
keyboard, see below. Commands can be started from the Insert pull-down menu, shown on the
left or from the Draw toolbar, seen above. The method that you choose to use is entirely up
to you and what you are comfortable with. In time you will find that each method
has its pros and cons and that one method may be faster for certain tasks than
others.

The picture you see to your right is the Properties box. This box allows you to
edit attributes to a specific entity or multiple entities depending on the
situation. These include: Color · Elevation · Layer · LType · ltScale ·
Thickness.

BASIC DRAWING & GEOMETRY - PART 1

Lines

Lines are the most simple of
IntelliCAD objects. With the Line command you can draw a simple line from one
point to another.

Toolbar

Draw

Pull-down

Insert→Line

Keyboard

LINE

short-cut

L

When
you select the first point and
move the cross-hairs to the location of the second point you will see a
rubber band line which shows you where the line will be drawn when the
second point is picked. Line objects have two ends (the first point and
the last point). You can continue picking points and IntelliCAD will draw a
straight line between each picked point and the previous point. Each line
segment drawn is a separate object and can be moved or erased as
required. To end this command, just hit the 8key
on the keyboard or right click

Command Sequence Example

Command : _LINE

ENTER to use last
point/Follow/<Start of line>:

Angle/Length/<End
point>:

Angle/Length/Follow/Undo/<End point>:

Here is an example of a line being drawn.

Infinite Lines

The
Infinite Line command creates a line of infinite length which passes through two
picked points. Infinite lines are very useful for creating construction
frameworks or grids within which to design.

Toolbar

Draw

Pull-down

Insert
→Infinite
Line

Keyboard

INFLINE

short-cut

XL

You may notice that there are a number of
options with this command. For example, the "Hor" and "Ver" options can be
used to draw construction lines that are truly horizontal or vertical. In
both these cases, only a single pick point is required because the direction
of the line is predetermined. To use a command option, simply enter the
capitalised part of the option name at the command prompt. Follow the
command sequence below to see how you would draw a construction line using
the Horizontal option.To end this command, just hit the8key on the keyboard or right click.

Polyline

Polylines are different than lines in that they are more complex
objects. A single polyline can be composed of a number of straight-line or arc
segments. Polylines can also be given line widths to make them appear
solid.

Toolbar

Draw

Pull-down

Insert→Polyline

Keyboard

PLINE

short-cut

PL

The Polyline or Pline command is similar to the line command
except that the resulting object may be composed of a number of segments which
form a single object. In addition to the two ends a polyline is said to have
vertices
(singular vertex) where intermediate line segments join. In practice the
Polyline command works in the same way as the Line command allowing you to pick
as many points as you like. Again, just hit Enter to end. As with the Line
command, you also have the option to automatically close a polyline end
to end. To do this, type C to use the close option instead of hitting 8.
Follow the command sequence below to see how this works.

Command Sequence Example

Command : PLINE

Start of polyline:

Arc/Distance/Halfwidth/Width/<Next point>:

Arc/Distance/Follow/Halfwidth/Width/Undo/<Next point>:

Arc/Close/Distance/Follow/Halfwidth/Width/Undo/<Next point>:

Arc/Close/Distance/Follow/Halfwidth/Width/Undo/<Next point>:

Splines

The Spline command creates a type of
spline known as a nonuniform rational B-spline, or NURBS for short. A spline is
a smooth curve that is fitted along a number of control points. The Fit
Tolerance option can be used to control how closely the spline conforms to
control points. A low tolerance value causes the spline to form close to the
control points. A tolerance of 0 forces the spline to pass through the control
points.

Toolbar

Draw

Pull-down

Insert→Spline

Keyboard

SPLINE

short-cut

SPL

Splines can be edited after they have
been created using the SPLINEDIT command. Using this command, you can change the
tolerance, add more control points move control points and add splines, amongst
other things.

Rectangle Tool

The Rectangle command is used to draw a rectangle whose
sides are vertical and horizontal. The position and size of the rectangle
are defined by picking two diagonal corners.

Toolbar

Draw

Pull-down

Insert→Rectangle

Keyboard

RECTANGLE

short-cuts

REC,
RECTANG

The Rectangle command also has a number of options. Width
works in the same way as for the Polyline command. The Chamfer and Fillet
options have the same effect as the
Chamfer and
Fillet commands, However we will look at these later. Elevation and
Thickness are 3D options.Notice that, instead of picking a second point to draw the
rectangle, you have the option of entering dimensions.

Command Sequence Example

Command : RECTANGLE

Chamfer/Elevation/Fillet/Rotated/Square/Thickness/Width/<Select first corner
of rectangle>:

Other corner of rectangle:

Polygon

The Polygon command can be used to draw
any regular polygon from 3 sides up to 1024 sides. This command requires
four inputs from the user, the number of sides, a pick point for the centre
of the polygon, whether you want the polygon inscribed or circumscribed and then a pick point which determines both the radius of
this imaginary circle and the orientation of the polygon. The polygon
command creates a closed polyline in the shape of the required polygon.

Toolbar

Draw

Pull-down

Insert→Polygon

Keyboard

POLYGON

short-cut

POL

This command also allows you to define the polygon by
entering the length of a side using the Edge option. You can also control
the size of the polygon by entering an exact radius for the circle.

Command Sequence Example

Command : _POLYGON

Polygon: Multiple/Width
of line/<Number of sides> <5>: 5

Specify by: Edge/<Center
of polygon>: _E

First endpoint of edge:

Second endpoint of edge:

Circles & Arcs

Along with Line and Polyline, the Circle command is probably
one of the most frequently used. Fortunately it is also one of the simplest.
However, in common with the other commands in this section there are a
number of options that can help you construct just the circle you need. Most
of these options are self explanatory but in some cases it can be quite
confusing. The Circle command, for example, offers 6 ways to create a
circle, while the Arc command offers 10 different methods for drawing an
arc. The sections below concentrate mainly on the default options but
feel free to experiment.

Arc

The Arc command allows you to draw an
arc of a circle. There are numerous ways to define an arc, the default
method uses three pick points, a start point, a second point and an end
point. Using this method, the drawn arc will start at the first pick point,
pass through the second point and end at the third point. Once you have
mastered the default method try some of the others. You may, for example
need to draw an arc with a specific radius. All of the Arc command options
are available from the pull-down menu.

Toolbar

Draw

Pull-down

Insert→Arc

Keyboard

ARC

short-cut

A

It is also possible to create an arc by trimming a circle
object. In practice, many arcs are actually created this way.

Command Sequence Example

Command : _ARC

ENTER to use last
point/Center/Follow/<Start of arc>:

Angle/Center/Direction/End/Radius/<Second point>:

End point:

Circle

The
Circle command is used to draw circles. There are a number of ways you can
define the circle. The default method is to pick the centre point and then to
either pick a second point on the circumference of the circle or enter the
circle radius at the keyboard.